National Dance Day

Executive Producer of Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD), Nigel Lythgoe, has started a grassroots initiative to encourage the nation to move. Declaring July 31st as National Dance Day, Lythgoe hopes that individuals, communities, organizations, and families will come together and express themselves through dance. However, this grassroots experiment is quickly turning into a big deal!

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) is planning on introducing a National Dance Day resolution at a press conference this Saturday in Washington, DC to promote not only dance education, but physical fitness across the U.S. No stranger to the healthy lifestyles scene, Norton introduced the Lifelong Improvements in Food & Exercise (LIFE) Act this past January to help promote exercise and diet changes to fight the sedentary lifestyles and obesity epidemic that are creeping through our nation. Norton comments that, “More than 30% of Americans are obese, and childhood obesity has tripled in the past 30 years. Television shows such as SYTYCD are not only entertaining but are also encouraging people to live a physically active lifestyle. Holding a National Dance Day in the nation’s capital is a terrific way to promote fitness and fight obesity.”

Lythgoe is excited that the effort is taking off and encourages everyone to come up with their own activities for their community. He has even set up an arena to submit your plans to SYTYCD and they will pick several venues to send their cameras to while covering the event. Dancers can also upload their videos to share on the Facebook page as well. Lythgoe makes it clear that, “National Dance Day does not ‘belong’ to any single corporation, television show, or charity. It belongs to the people. It will be up to the individuals, corporations, and charities of this country to come up with ways to take part – wherever they may be and whatever their motivation: whether it’s to lose weight, raise money for a non profit, or just have fun. It is my hope that countless exciting dance ideas will come to fruition on National Dance Day, like the world’s longest conga line in Miami or the world’s longest kick line in front of Radio City Music Hall or scores of breakdancers taking over the Venice boardwalk. The sky is the limit.”

Not sure what you can do to celebrate? Nap&Tab, two of SYTYCD’s choreographers, have created a short hiphop routine that anyone can try at home or with a group of people. Learn the dance below or make up your own routine!

Although the day is to generate a national awareness for dance – a medium that can bring together all individuals regardless of culture or society’s boundaries into a “positive platform” in which we can all share a moment of peace, expression, and passion – but more than anything, the day is meant to promote health and wellness, so the goal is just to get moving. Lythgoe hopes to “prove that the ‘Power of Dance’ can MOVE an entire country.” So throw on some comfy shoes and join the country in moving this Saturday!